Paperboard tray



- June 4, 1957 K. E. WAGNER PAPERBOARD TRAY Filed June 8, 1953 13 22 23 16 23 12 23 I6 2.,3 2 2 13 2o 23 2/ 23 20 we 33 l T'T I INVENTOR. AENA/EI-H E. WA GNER A TTOR/VEKS.

aired States Patent PAPERBOARD TRAY Kenneth E. Wagner, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application June 8, 1953, Serial No. 360,186

4 Claims. (Cl. 22927) This invention relates to a paperboard tray of the type which is adapted to be shipped in fully assembled but folded condition and is readily opened for use as desired.

In the prior art a well known type of paperboard tray or box is one consisting of a bottom and four side walls, the side walls being folded inwardly and downwardly against the bottom for packing, shipment and storage until such time as the tray is to be set up for use. When the tray or box is to be used it is merely necessary to grasp two opposed side or end walls and move them manually to a vertical position, the remaining two side or end walls being arranged to likewise move to vertical position during such manual movement to provide an open box or tray structure ready for use.

Trays or boxes of this class are widely used in packaging and shipping baked goods, for instance, the entire tray or box being wrapped in transparent sheet material such as cellophane or the like so that the contents are in clear view through the top of the box or tray which is open save for the transparent wrapping.

Trays or boxes of this general type have been used by drive-in restaurants, refreshment stands and similar establishments for serving sandwiches and other foods and beverages because of their low cost and ready disposability and often merely because they represent a cost-free article which comes to the restaurant or other'catering establishment from their food suppliers.

The present invention relates to a tray or receptacle of this general class which, with no additional material cost and very little additional fabricating cost, is particularly adapted to use as a food serving tray for this general purpose. The tray of the present invention may be employed by bakers or other food suppliers to restaurant or catering establishments and the like for re-use by the latter, thus serving as a sales promotion and good will item for the original user.

The tray of the present invention comprises generally a bottom and four interconnected side walls which may be disposed in flat folded condition and readily opened for use, wherein a novel corner construction is provided. This corner construction provides means which may readily be positioned for use, as required, to receive and support a beverage container or the like.

A single complete and specific embodiment of the principles of the present invention is set forth herein by way of example but it is to be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is limited only as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 illustrates a flat paperboard blank for forming one form of the tray of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of one corner of the tray formed from the blank of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the tray of Fig. 2 further illustrating the corner construction.

In the drawing like characters of reference denote like parts and, referring particularly to Fig. 1, the illustrative tray comprises a bottom wall 10, side walls 11, and end walls 12. End walls 12 have corner tabs 13 for securement to side walls 11 in assembling the tray and for other purposes which will appear hereinafter. The side walls 11 are connected with bottom wall 10 along score lines 14, the end walls 12 are connected with bottom wall 10 along score lines 15, and tabs 13 are connected with end walls 12 along score lines 16.

The opposite end portions of side walls 11 comprise tabs 17 for gluing to the end wall tabs 13 in assembling the box. The tab portions 17 are connected with side walls 11 along oblique score lines 18. This much of the tray construction is well known in the paper container art as a Beers tray and provides a construction in which the glued up tray may be readily and interchangeably disposed in either a flat folded condition or in a set up condition.

In fabricating the tray the side walls 11 are first bent inwardly to lie against bottom wall 10. Tabs 17 are then bent outwardly to lie against the outer surfaces of side walls 11. The end wall tabs 13 are bent inwardly to lie against end walls 12 and end walls 12 are bent toward each other to lie against bottom wall 10, side walls 11, and return bent tabs 17. The abutting faces of tabs 13 and 17 are glued to each other in this position.

Subsequently, if the end walls 12 are moved outwardly to a position at right angles to the bottom wall 16, side walls 11 are automatically likewise moved to an erect position, during which movement tabs 17 of the side walls 11 swing to a position where they lie in the same plane as side walls 11 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In proceeding in accordance with the present invention means are additionally provided to serve as supports or retainers for paper cups, tumblers or like receptacles or containers, chiefly although not necessarily for beverages. In the illustrated instance such means are provided for slitting the end Walls 12 and tabs 13 as indicated by solid lines 20 in Fig. 1. Score lines 21 and 22 are provided from the opposite ends of each slit or cut 20 extending to the outer ends of the blank and additional score lines 23 are provided from intermediate portions of the slit or cut 20, likewise to the outer ends of the blank.

When a tray or receptacle thus slitted and scored is opened in the usual way it takes the usual rectangular box form and is no different in form than the usual paperboard tray of this general class. However, a user may, by pressing inwardly on the upper corner of the tray, that being the portion of the tray lying between a slit 20, score lines 21 and 22, and the adjacent edge of the tray body, cause that portion of the tray body to loop inwardly as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The inwardly extending corner loop thus provided cooperates with the lower corner portion of the tray body to provide a compartment for securely supporting an article such as the paper cup indicated in dot-and-dash lines at A in Fig. 2, or a tumbler or bottle or other article.

It will be noted that the score lines 21 extend at a slight angle which gives a slight taper to the resultant inward loop as shown in Fig. 2. In the form shown by way of example each loop has three intermediate creases, the two creases 23 and the extension of crease or score line 16. This causes the loop to assume a more or less arcuate form and the number of intermediate creases provided for this purpose may be varied as desired.

The tab portion 17 at each end of each side wall 11 is provided with a notch 25 which, when a corner loop extends inwardly as in Fig. 2, provides a larger opening and facilitates insertion of a cup or other receptacle into the corner compartment.

In ordinary trays of this general character the glue spots connecting the corner tabs may occupy any portion of the overlapping areas of the tabs, but in the construcglue spots 27 and 28 are provided as shown in Fig. 3 for securing the abutting faces of tabs 13 and 17 to each other. loop forming portion of'an end wall 12 and a corner Thus, the glue spot 27 supports one end of the tab 13.

It is to be understood that inward loops may be formed at one, two, three or four corners of a tray, as needed. Unless and until an inward loop is formed by pressing inward on the loop forming portion a given corner of the traywill present the usual full square corner.

What is claimed is:

1. In a receptacle, a paperboard body comprising a rectangular bottom wall and a side wall projecting upwardly therefrom at each of its four edges, a pair of opposed side walls of said body having tabs projecting from the ends thereof and connected to said side walls along score lines, said tabs being secured to the inner surfaces of adjacent ends of the remaining two side Walls thereby forming an open tray, a cut extending across one of said score lines and terminating short of the outer end of said tab and short of the midpoint of the side Wall from which said tab projects, thereby forming a horizontal band connected at its ends to said tab and said side wall, score lines extending from the terminations of said cut to the upper edge of said tab and other score lines traversing said horizontal band generally parallel to said just mentioned score lines and lying between the same and the score line which connects the tab to the side Wall from which it projects, whereby said band may be selectively moved inwardly from said tab and associated side wall with the receptacle in assembled condition thereby forming a reentrant angle in a corner of said receptacle and providing an article receiving compartment.

2. In a receptacle, a paperboard body comprising a rectangular bottom wall and a side wall projecting upwardly therefrom at each of its four edges, one of the side walls of said body having a tab projecting from an end thereof and connected to said side wall along a score line, said tab being secured to the inner surface of the adjacent end of the adjacent side wall, a cut extending across said score line and terminating short of the outer end of said tab and medially of said one side wall thereby forming a horizontal band connected at its ends to said tab and said side wall, score lines extending from the terminations of said cut to the upper edge of said tab and other score lines traversing said horizontal band generally parallel to said just mentioned score lines and lying between the same and the score line which connects the tab to said one side wall, whereby said band may be selectively moved inwardly from said tab and associated side wall thereby forming a reentrant angle in a corner of said receptacle and providing an article receiving compartment.

3. In a receptacle, a paperboard body comprising a rectangular bottom wall and a side Wall projecting upwardly therefrom at each of its four edges, one of the side walls of said body having a tab projecting from an end thereof and connected to said side wall along a score line, said tab being secured to the inner surface of the adjacent end of the adjacent side wall, a medial cut extending substantially at right angles across said score line and terminating short of the outer end of said tab and medially of said side wall thereby forming a horizontal band connected at its ends to said tab and said side Wall and extending vertically from the upper edge of said receptacle to said medial cut, score lines extending from the terminations of said cut to the upper edge of said tab and other score lines traversing said horizontal band generally parallel to said just mentioned score lines and lying between the same and the score line which connects the tab to said side wall, whereby said band may be selectively moved inwardly from said tab and associated side wall thereby forming a reentrant angle in a corner of said receptacle and providing an article receiving compartment.

4. In a receptacle, a paperboard body comprising a bottom wall and a side wall projecting upwardly therefrom at each of its edges,'one of the side walls of said body having a tab projecting from an end thereof and connected to said side Wall along a score line, said tab being secured to the inner'surfaces of the adjacent end of the adjacent side wall, a cut extending across said score line and terminating short of the outer end of said tab and medially of said one side wall thereby forming a horizontal band connected at its ends to said tab and said side Wall, scorelines extending from the terminations of said cut to the upper edge of said tab and other score lines traversing said horizontal band generally parallel to said just mentioned score line and lying between the same and the score line which connects the tab to said one side wall whereby said band may be selectively moved inwardly from said tab and associated side 'wall' therebyforming a reentrant angle in a corner of said receptacle and providing an article receiving compartment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS 

